• Roots Rock

    Emmylou and Mark Make Beautiful Music

    / July 2, 2006

    Mark Knoplfer and Emmylou Harris at Radio City Music Hall

    For those of you who caught Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris on tour, I envy you. I’ve been playing and replaying the last show of their tour over the weekend. It took place Friday night at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, Cal. Yeah, things move fast around these internets. We’re spoiled.

    Check out the last four tunes of the show. Two classics from Brothers in Arms, “So Far Away” and “Why Worry”. One from Knopfler’s last solo LP, Shangri-La, and a beautiful, tear-inducing ballad, “If This is Goodbye”, from Knopfler and Harris’ 2006 release.

    Emmylou is the perfect compliment to Knopfler’s live show. Her sweet silky voice fits into his soft finger-picking style like hand in glove. The whole show is great, but it’s these that really blew me away. I can only imagine how great it must’ve been in person.

    Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
    Live at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, Calif. (final show of the tour)
    June 30, 2006

    So Far Away (mp3)
    Our Shangri-La (mp3)
    If This is Goodbye (mp3)
    Why Worry (mp3)

    01. Right Now
    02. Red Staggerwing
    03. Michelangelo
    04. I Dug Up A Diamond
    05. Born To Run
    06. Red Dirt Girl
    07. Band introduction
    08. Done With Bonaparte
    09. Romeo & Juliet
    10. Song For Sonny Liston
    11. Belle Starr
    12. This Is Us
    13. Boulder To Birmingham
    14. All The Roadrunning
    15. Speedway At Nazareth
    Encore
    16. So Far Away
    17. Our Shangri-La
    18. If This is Goodbye
    19. Why Worry


    lp cover

  • Acoustic,  Country Rock,  Latin

    Sunday Grab Bag 2

    / December 4, 2005

    Another random sampling of some music I’ve been particularly enjoying of late.

    Though a ton of artists have recorded this Boudleaux Bryant classic, I first heard Nazareth’s version as a kid, then the Everly Brothers (who did the original in 1961). It wasn’t until a few years ago that I finally heard Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris do things to it that make me quite content to never hear another’s version again.

    Gram Parsons w/ Emmylou Harris: Love Hurts from Grievous Angel (1973)

    A Cuban friend at work was kind enough to turn me on to legendary conguero Carlos “Patato” Valdes, thought by many to be the greatest Cuban conga player. This one comes from ‘The Legend of Cuban Percussion’, a 2000 release. With a flute, piano, bass, and Patato on the congas, it is most definitely headphone worthy.

    Carlos “Patato” Valdes: Luz